DOH: General population not yet eligible for booster shots
THE Department of Health (DOH) yesterday reminded the public that the general population is not yet eligible for booster vaccination.
In an advisory, the DOH said the decision to offer booster doses to health workers is still “risk-based.”
The DOH added that the booster doses’ rollout to other priority groups will be implemented in a phased approach.
“More than administering booster doses, it is still important to ensure that the eligible individuals, especially the senior citizens, those with comorbidities and the indigent population, will receive their primary doses,” it said.
On Wednesday, the country began the inoculation of fully vaccinated medical workers with booster shots against COVID-19.
Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said Friday that more than 2,000 booster doses against COVID-19 have been administered to fully-vaccinated healthcare workers, adding that the DOH recorded 2% adverse, but mild reactions.
“These were all mild reactions such as pain in the vaccination site. Merong nagkaroon ng lagnat, merong sumakit ang ulo, meron namang iba na tumaas ang blood pressure” (Some got fever, headache, and increased in blood pressure). There were no serious adverse events [among those who had] their booster doses,” she said, adding, they were all managed accordingly, and they were all sent home well.
Vergeire also called on the general public to refrain from getting booster shots and wait for further guidelines to avoid untoward reactions.
The National Vaccination Operations Center earlier released the guidelines for the vaccination of medical frontliners with booster dose.
The NVOC said Filipinos who were inoculated with Pfizer, Moderna, Sinovac, Gamaleya, and AstraZeneca vaccines for the primary series must wait at least six months before getting a booster shot.
Meanwhile, those who were inoculated with the Janssen COVID-19 vaccine for the primary series must wait at least three months.
Booster shots are given when immunity is starting to wane after several months since receiving the vaccine, while additional doses, or third doses, are given to individuals who cannot mount the appropriate immunity against the sickness.
